Masquerade
by Nintendocat
Summary: Knowing that a habit is wrong doesn't mean that you can, or want to, stop.
1. Bad Habit

Disclaimer: Dragonball and its characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I do not own these characters nor do I claim to.

A/N: This was originally done as a standalone 100 word drabble but when the Halloween challenge was announced at the Bulma/Vegeta livejournal community I decided to continue with it. It's still going to be a Halloween fic (and yes I'm aware that it's December) but the challenge was delayed so the story was delayed and I'm just now working on the final chapter. The Halloween theme isn't very strong in it so it should be too distracting and if you've read Bizarre Earth Customs then you're probably used to reading about holidays well before or after they would happen. This will be a little bit darker than my other story(stories) and a bit more mature but there will be no accounts of rape or non-con so if those things bother you they won't be here.

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She tossed and turned, the stuffy room making her sleep restless. Her blue satin sheets, originally covering her entire body, were now bunched up exposing her long legs. Her unconscious moans indicated that she was dreaming about sweat-slicked skin and a night time lover.

He growled as a sudden gust of wind caused the curtains to flutter, blocking his view. He knew it was a bad habit; that it was not proper to sit outside her window and watch her sleep but he couldn't force himself to move away. She was constantly on his mind.

The object of his obsession.

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I know it's short but like I said 100 word drabble so just consider it the prelude to the rest of the story and I'll have the next chapter up later tonight. I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully you'll stick around to read more. I'd love to hear from you so reviews are more than welcome.


	2. Twisted

Disclaimer: Dragonball and its characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I do not own these characters nor do I claim to.

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The silhouette of a man draped across her sleeping body, blocked occasionally by the curtains fluttering in the wind. Even without opening her eyes she could tell that he was watching and it made terrifying trill of lust skitter through her spine which made her back arch; The thought of his eyes avidly watching her made hot body tight and hot, arousing her more than would be considered sane. The paralysis of sleep made her unable to move though she wanted to. She wanted to slide her hands across her body, to pinch and tease the sensitive flesh as he watched unmoving, unblinking as he took in the sight. Instead she grasped the sheets beneath her in her tights fists and opened her mouth to groan, unable to express the scale of displeasure of being denied full satisfaction.

And she would never gain full satisfaction because her twisted, lust-filled fantasy was just that: A dream and nothing more. It had to be. After all, it couldn't hurt her to enjoy the feeling in her dreams, but in reality it was too dangerous. In reality the man would not just watch, he would act. He would take her lust filled actions as a welcoming sign and move into her room. The man who watched her sleep wouldn't have the morals to ask permission, he would just take. Wake her. Touch her. Grab her.

"Babe?"

Bulma jumped as Yamcha's voice and hand on her shoulder brought her out of her daydream. Clutching her hand to her heart she panted heavily as she tried to slow down her rapidly beating heart. Despite her previous scolding she couldn't deny the feeling of disappointment at learning that it was her long-time boyfriend who grabbed her shoulder instead of the mysterious stranger her body had been anticipating.

"Whoa, calm down, Babe. I didn't mean to scare you. You shouldn't drift off when you're carving a pumpkin anyway."

Bulma's startled look was replaced by an annoyed one. "It's a safety saw, Yamcha," she snapped as she ran the dull toothed, centimeter wide saw against her hand, "It's almost impossible to hurt anyone. When did you get here anyway?"

"I just walked in. You asked me to come over and help with the decorating remember? For the party tomorrow?"

"Oh, of course I remember. I was just… thinking about something else. Well I'm obviously carving pumpkins right now so grab one and get to work. We'll need enough to decorate the walkway. There's a bunch of stencils that came with the kit so pick one and follow the instructions."

"Sure thing, Babe," Yamcha said with a smile unaffected by Bulma's bossy attitude.

The two worked in awkward silence for awhile before Yamcha decided to break it. "What were you thinking about?"

"What?"

"You seemed jumpy earlier and said that you were thinking about something else. Is something wrong?"

Bulma flushed slightly, moving her saw to free the last piece from the arched-back cat design she'd been working on. "It's nothing Yamcha, just a dream I've been having lately."

"Ah, a nightmare, I see. This is a scary time of year so it's understandable; it is almost Halloween after all. So what is it? Vampire? Zombie? Werewolf?" he asked, punctuating each word with a motion mimicking each cheesy movie monster he mentioned.

"No, nothing like that," she said with a sigh. _'I'm not even sure I'm allowed to call it a nightmare with how much I'm enjoying it,' _she frowned at her twisted mind. "I sleep with the windows open and the wind blows the curtains, you know? And sometimes the shadows moving across the room look like a person. I know nothing's there but…," she let her sentence drift off unfinished hoping Yamcha would make his own conclusion. Luckily for her, he did.

"Wow that is scary sounding. It's an easy fix, at least. Just close the window. It's almost November so it's probably too cold anyway."

"My… room gets a little stuffy at night but you're right, it should be an easy fix," she said with a forced smile. _'It should be an easy fix, but the problem is, do I really want to fix it?'_

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And there's chapter two. It's still short, and a few of the others will be as well, but they eventually get a little longer. Once again I'd love to hear from you so feel free to review.


	3. Same Sin

Disclaimer: Dragonball and its characters belong to Akira Toriyama. I do not own these characters nor do I claim to.

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To say that Vegeta was irritated would be an understatement. He didn't like when his daily regime changed and if anything was even slightly off it made him feel unsettled and on edge. He had a long, hard day of training and he was tired but no matter how long he laid in bed his body just wouldn't relax enough to sleep. 'This is what I get for allowing this bad habit to go on for as long as it has,' he thought with a scowl.

The first time it had been an accident. He had been heading to his room to sleep, choosing to fly directly to his window since the dark clouds in the sky indicated that it was going to rain soon, when he noticed movement coming from the house. Seeing that it was coming from curtains that framed an open window his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to check it out. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was the woman's room. Though he had issues with the woman he couldn't deny the attraction he felt for her. She really was a beautiful woman with her exotic features and luscious body. As he had floated quietly outside her window watching as she peacefully slept, he felt his body begin to relax and his constantly raging mind calm.

He jumped when a raindrop landed on his neck. Suddenly he realized what he was doing and was instantly disgusted with himself. He was the elite prince of a warrior race; he was not a voyeur, a peeping tom. Forcing himself away from the window he had gone to his room, surprised that he was able to fall asleep so quickly. Normally he would have to meditate for hours before he was able to drift to sleep so this was a completely new experience for him.

The next few days he went about his routine as normal, pushing the thought of the woman as anything calming out of his mind; an easy thing to do since their paths didn't often cross. But after several nights of tossing and turning as he futilely tired to force himself to sleep he decided to what he had to before his training suffered. So what if it was creepy and disturbing that he was calmed by the sight of her sleeping; if it helped him function better than so be it. Besides, it's not like anyone would catch him.

He clearly remembered the moon, recently restored by a wish of the dragonballs, being nearly full in the sky and that its light coming through her open window caused her cloth covered body to be fully illuminated. He also clearly remembered telling himself that he'd only watch her for a few minutes before going back. However, more than 20 minutes of watching the even rise and fall of her chest and he still hadn't had the will to move away yet. He ran his hand over his face but paused as he noticed how his arm's shadow moved across her body. Carefully he moved his arm letting the shadow of his hand run over her body and gently caress her face. It was oddly amusing; as if his shadow was able to touch what he could not.

His amusement was cut short though when the woman's steady breath changed pattern. Slowly he lowered his hand believing that the shadow had woken her and he was about to fly away from the window when a new scent reached his sensitive nose. He couldn't quite place it at first, but as he watched her begin to writhe and moan he realized that she was aroused. If watching her simply sleep was wrong then now it was even more reason to move away from her window. But he couldn't. Much like a spider that emits false pheromones to lure in prey, Vegeta had found himself unable to leave until she finally settled again.

Slowly over time, the sickening feeling had disappeared into a feeling of acceptance as he adapted his nightly viewing into his routine, which is why her absence from her room was throwing him off completely. Even if she stayed up late to work she would still be in bed before midnight lest she miss out on her 'beauty sleep', as if she needed it, but it was already past one and she was nowhere in sight. _'Where the hell is she?' _

Moving down towards the kitchen, he became aware of the sound of the television playing. He snuck up to the living room and peered inside; frowning as he finally saw her, her eyes glued to the TV seemingly captivated by whatever program was on. Quietly walking up behind the couch, he looked at the set to see was on only to see someone man with a cape and a mask singing to some terrified woman.

"No!" Vegeta nearly jumped as Bulma cried out snapping his eyes down to her tense body, "Don't take off the mask, Christine." Looking back at the program he saw this 'Christine' do just as Bulma had implored her not to, dropping the mask to the ground as she screeched in terror at the man disfigured face. "Oh, Christine, you were attracted to him before. Does seeing what he looks like really trump that feeling?"

"Not everyone can be attracted to scar faced men, Woman," Vegeta decided to answer her, knowing it'd be hilarious to see her realize that she'd been caught. He wasn't disappointed.

"Ve-vegeta? What are you doing up?" Bulma asked with her hand clutched to her chest.

"I couldn't sleep so I came down for some food when I heard this racket."

"It's not a racket, it's The Phantom of the Opera. It's a famous book made movie made musical about an opera singer named Christine and a disfigured man named Erik known as the Phantom of the Opera who loved her from afar and taught her to sing as her angel of music. It's a dark romance, involving kidnapping, murder, betrayal, lust, and love and it's a brilliant story." She paused as if suddenly recalling his earlier words, "And stop being mean about Yamcha. You've got scars too."

Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, he looked back to the set to see what was going on now, seeing a more normal looking man, done up to look wealthy and sophisticated talking to the woman from before.

"Yamcha wouldn't be Erik anyway. If anything he'd be Raoul, the safe, romantic love interest from Christine's past. Erik is a dark love interest that Christine is afraid of but secretly attracted to. There's a bit of a fight with her feelings but in the end she decides that her feelings for Erik are too terrifying to deal with, after all he killed people just to make her a star and love him, so instead she decides to marry Raoul."

"Sounds like the typical romance stories you'd be into."

"Excuse me, Vegeta, but you don't know anything about me."

"You said it yourself, Woman, that idiot would be the safe, romantic route therefore you being with him would dictate that you prefer a safe romance over a dark passion." Then, deciding to play with her a bit, he smirked cruelly, "Then again, you did seem to be favoring the phantom character back there. Perhaps you have a secret fantasy you're not aware of. Maybe you're waiting for some dark, man you can't see to sneak into your bedroom and give you reason to question your true desires."

Surprisingly she didn't snap at him for making such a suggestion. Instead, she blushed brightly and turned away from him. More importantly than that her scent changed to the one he had only come across while she slept, dreaming as she twisted and moaned while he calmly watched with rapt attention. _'Could it be? Could her desires be as sick and twisted as my own? Instead of relying on my shadow, what would it be like to actually touch her?'_ He wanted to shake the appealing thought out of his head before it took over.

He was brought out of his dark thoughts by the sudden silence of the TV being turned off. "Well, I'm off to bed. Sweet dreams, Vegeta."

"Off to make your own ending to the movie, Woman?" He asked, watching her reaction carefully.

She laughed lightly, "Oh please, Vegeta, that's a little too cliché even for my tastes." Her laughed died as she realized what she'd admitted to and a lovely blush graced her watched as she quickly turned and walked out of the room, her attempt to avoid Vegeta seeing her obvious blush causing her to miss the heated look in his eyes and the dark smirk on his face.

"Sweet dreams indeed."

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Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it and please feel free to review and tell me what you think.


	4. Heat

"Stupid movie. Stupid Fantasies. Stupid Vegeta," Bulma muttered to herself as she walked around her room preparing for bed. "Who does he think he is acting as if he knows my secret desires? There's nothing wrong with me. There's nothing wrong with wanting a little change in my life or beginning to think that my relationship with Yamcha has become so predictable that I'm finding that new and dangerous thoughts turn me on. As long as I don't act on them, that is." She pulled on her night gown and grabbed a brush to roughly pull it through her hair." I'm sure Yamcha has things that he doesn't talk about too, like staring at those girls working out at the gym. You can definitely tell that he trained with Master Roshi, that's for sure." After finally brushing a tangle out of her hair she threw the brush down with an aggravated sigh. "Ugh, why is it so stuffy in here? I can barely think straight."

In actuality she knew why it was so stuffy. About Mid Summer the personal AC unit for her room had broken down and she never bothered to fix it. She was too busy working on projects to call for it to be repaired and it was just as easy to open the window and the refreshing breeze wafting in moved the air better than any ceiling fan could.

Of course, there was another reason she didn't want to fix it right away… which was exactly why the window was tightly closed at this moment. After all, if Vegeta, someone who had no idea what was considered right and wrong to Earth's way had possibly picked up on her twisted fantasy, then it was only so much more time before she got bad enough that others could pick up on it. She wondered how anyone else would reacted to catching her in the midst of rooting for the bad guy. "They'd probably worry that I'm going to start cheering for the androids to win."

So despite her discomfort, she refused to open the window hoping that her sick desires would go away in time. She had to break herself of this habit. After all, it was wrong. Wasn't it? She shook herself of that thought. "Of course it's wrong. If anyone found out about it they'd think I needed therapy." She cast one more longing glance at the window, wanting the cool breeze to move the stuffy air of course, before pulling back her blankets and curling up to sleep.

Bulma woke up, an hour later according to her clock, covered in sweat. "I can't take it anymore. I won't be able to sleep at all if I'm not comfortable." Pushing her covers off, she crossed the room to her window. Opening it, she smiled as the gentle breeze rushed in, instantly cooling her. "I'll work on conquering my dark fantasies later. For now I'll enjoy them, along with the breeze."

Turning back to try to sleep again, she froze in fear as she saw her shadow on the wall become engulfed by the shadow of a man. She tried to make out any distinguishing features but within a split second the curtain's shadow covered them both. She turned to see what was going on but there was no person standing there. She took in a deep breath to calm herself. "It was only the curtain. My stupid imagination, am I really that desperate?" She tried to laugh it off but her amusement quickly vanished as she realized that the reason the curtain was loose enough to darken the whole room was because the tie back had been removed.

With a gasp, she took a staggering step back, paralyzing with fear as she bumped into something solid that wouldn't normally be in her room. Before she could move, the cloth of the tie back appeared before her eyes, instantly darkening her vision. She felt the fabric wrap around her wrists causing her arms to uncomfortably cross behind her back, the ends falling into her hands. Desperately, she grabbed the ends and tried to pull in hopes that the bindings would come untied but her efforts were in vain as they stayed in place. A warm puff of air caressed the back of her neck which instantly made her body freeze but the feel of fingertips gently running up the length of her twisted arms made her knees almost buckle.

Bulma was terrified. By the man, of course, but even more so by herself… because his touch was like magic to her. _'No, this is wrong. Think, Bulma, think! How do I get out of this? How did he even get up here in the first place?'_ That insight struck her hard. There is only one man who _could_ get to her window. "Vegeta?"

"Don't expect me to sing for you, Woman."

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Thanks for reading. I love the reviews coming in and I'm glad that there are so many people giving the story a chance despite it being set around Halloween. Feel free to leave more reviews, I love seeing them.


	5. Hunter and Prey

AN: Since this and the last chapter are short, and pretty much two points of view of the same event, I'm going to go ahead and post this one today instead of waiting. Hope you enjoy. :)

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Being a natural born hunter had its benefits. Even when hungry he could patiently wait for hours until his prey came out in the open and exposed itself before he struck it down disabling it. Stalking the woman was pretty much the same thing.

His patience had been rewarded when, an hour later, she awoke with a start and starting yelling something before pushing the covers off her. He quickly moved out of sight, pressing himself against the side of the house as she roughly opened the window. A few seconds later, he heard her sigh as the cool breeze caressed her.

"I'll work on conquering my dark fantasies later. For now I'll enjoy them, along with the breeze."

'_You won't be conquering them any time soon while I'm here, though I'll be more than happy to help you enjoy them,'_ he thought evilly before grabbing onto the sill and pulling himself onto it.

He noticed that she instantly stiffened and realized that his shadow had given him away. Before she could figure out what was going on he reached down and grabbed the curtain, pulling it from the strip of cloth that held it in place and throwing it across the window, completely blocking the moonlight from lighting the room. With his superior senses, he easily moved into the room behind her as she turned towards the window, her terrified stance indicating that she expected to see someone there.

As the curtain finally fluttered down to its usual place, she took in a deep breath. "It was only the curtain. My stupid imagination, am I really that desperate?"

Vegeta took in the sight of her: panting deep breaths in order to calm down, skin slicked with a thin sheen of sweat, tiny pink nightgown barely covering her body. It was all so overwhelmingly arousing, even more so with the rush of adrenaline he was getting from the thought of trapping the woman and sating his obsession with her. He smirked as she started to panic again, most likely from realizing that the curtain couldn't have possibly moved so far from the wall without the fabric holding it in place; little did she know that the reason it was gone was because he was holding it, shifting it between his hands for better use.

She stepped back and bumped into his chest giving him the perfect chance to throw the cloth over her head and cover her eyes. She jumped forward in alarm so he used the distance to pull her arms behind her, crossing them before wrapping the fabric around her wrists. The length of the cloth was short enough that it caused her head to fall back exposing the delicious length of her neck to his eyes. The fabric was shifting slightly and he mentally chuckled as he realized that she was pulling on the ends believing that she could possibly untie the fabric. Little did she know that her wrists weren't tied and that she was just tightening the twisted fabric by pulling instead of letting go. It was a simple but effective trick, allowing him to control her easier without her realizing that she could let go at any moment and be free.

He watched as she suddenly stopped panicking, her body stock still. "Vegeta?" she timidly asked.

'_Damn, she's too smart for her own good,'_ Vegeta rolled his eyes at the loss of the dramatic mystery surrounding the situation but perhaps this would work better. After all, it might be fun to fantasize about a random stranger but the appeal would lessen in real life. _'Yes, it'd be better for her to have a face to imagine.' _With that decision in mind he decided to shift his strategy to more of a dark seduction, starting with making a reference to her earlier activities. "Don't expect me to sing for you, Woman," he whispered in her ear before slowly dragging his lips across her neck, enjoying the shiver it invoked.

She may not have made any direct attempts of seducing him but more than once he'd caught her sneaking a peek. The attraction was mutual even if she tried to deny it. _'I swear, Woman, soon you'll be as obsessed with me as I am with you.'_

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_Thanks for reading and please feel free to review._  
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	6. Touch

Sorry that the last chapter was so much like the one before it but it was supposed to be Vegeta's view of the same event and it is important to the story. Anyway here's the next chapter so I hope you like it.

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Bulma could easily admit that Vegeta was the perfect example of a man. Toned physique, sharp features, mysterious personality: She had always been attracted to 'bad boys' though Vegeta elevated that concept to 'Bad Man' and the thought of what he could do was already making her pant with desire.

'_This is wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong!'_ She shook her head as much as the tieback would allow her. _'I am Bulma Briefs, Vice-President of the world's most influential company and an independent, self-sufficient woman. I can't just let Vegeta come in here and believe that he can make me sit up and pant like an obedient dog.'_ She winced as she realized that she was already panting from desire and quickly closed her mouth, straightening her body as much as she could. "What are you doing in here, Vegeta?" She asked, glad that her voice didn't shake.

"Hmm…," Vegeta simply hummed against her neck, "What I am doing…," he began as his fingers gently traced her spine causing her back to arch and her knees to nearly buckle, "is exactly what you want me to do."

She couldn't believe how much a simple touch affected her. She knew that Yamcha had traced her spine in the afterglow of their love making but it felt nothing like this electricity jumping through her body as if she was about to orgasm from the touch itself. Swallowing she decided to stick to her original resolve. "You're not the one who gets to decide what I want or not. I'm my own woman and I don't want you to be in here so untie me and…" a sharp nip to her shoulder caused her to jump. "Ow, did you just bite me, you bastard?"

"I'm only punishing you for lying to me, Woman."

"Lying? What are you talking about? And you don't have the right to punish me."

"Does 'I'll work on conquering my dark fantasies later' ring a bell? Or perhaps 'It was only the curtain. My stupid imagination, am I really that desperate' is more familiar to you."

Bulma froze. "You… you heard that? Were you listening to me this whole time? Oh Kami, the dre…" she paused her sentence realizing that he would consider himself the winner if she admitted that she had dreamt of something like this happening, "the nightmares of someone watching me from my window, was actually you this whole time?"

Vegeta's hand twisted the fabric causing her head and arms to be pulled past their already uncomfortable limits which caused her to cry out in pain. "Didn't I tell you to stop lying? You are right that I have been watching you but that means that I know you weren't having nightmares about being watched. Or are you going to tell me that your writhing and moaning as you white knuckles gripped the bed sheets was due to fear?" he questioned while still holding his hand in its twisted position.

Much like his description of her dreams she was writhing now, her knuckles white as she gripped the ends in her hands once again pulling them in hopes that they'd untie. She never realized how much the right amount of fear and pain could heighten a sexual experience. She wondered what it would have been like if Vegeta had found her when she was alone back on Namek before he became their ally. Would he have simply killed her before taking the dragonball she was hiding or would he have taken out some of his frustrations on her? Would it have been as arousing then as it was now?

Vegeta must have gotten impatient with her not answering because he let go of the fabric before stepping away from her, her only indication of his movement being his fingers running across the front of her chest from her left shoulder to her right one. "I'll make a deal with you woman. You tell the truth and I'll reward you. But if deny your desires," he slowly fanned his fingers to loosely cover her neck, "I'll have to punish you."

"Please don't hurt me."

"Silly Woman. Reward or Punishment: Both mean that you're in for a treat.

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Thanks for reading and feel free to review. I really do like hearing your feedback.


	7. True Mask

Okay here's the next chapter. From here on out they're a bit longer so maybe you'll like them more. The chapter shifts point of view about mid way so I hope I didn't thrown anyone off. This is also the first chapter with mature content though nothing too bad.

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He was glad he had removed his gloves before acting that evening. Had he kept them on he would have missed the feeling of her warm alabaster skin against his fingertips. Standing in front of her, he moved his hand down her chest and ran his hand along the hem of her cotton nightgown. Her breath hitched as she jerked back but couldn't get far from his grip.

"Let go!" she screamed as much as her tight throat would allow her.

Vegeta smirked at the sight before him: the bound woman panting with a delicious mixture of fear and desire, looking from side to side as if trying to see him despite her eyes being covered. He couldn't help but tease her as he leant forward to whisper in her ear. "Is everything a little overwhelming for you, Woman?"

"I said 'Let go', you bastard!" she screamed louder as she once again pulled on the straps in her futile attempts to untie the bindings that weren't even tied. It was probably for the best that she was gripping the fabric as her nails would have pierced the skin of her palms if it wasn't there.

Rolling his eyes at her protest he moved behind her again. "What did I just tell you about denying your true feelings?" Wrapping his arms around her, her reached up and grabbed the thin straps of fabric holding her gown up and ripped the seams. She jumped back from the harsh movement. Realizing that she was only pressing herself against him and causing her arms and neck to bend beyond their limit again she tried to move forward.

Vegeta on the other hand had different ideas and moved his hands so they would cup her generously sized breasts. Much like the skin of her neck and shoulders, they were just as smooth to the touch, the softness of them feeling wonderful against his roughened hands. His fingertips grazed her hardened nipples and he smirked, concentrating his movements on teasing them until she was once again writhing. "Are you still going to tell me to stop? That your movements are from pain and disgust even as I hold your heavy breasts and tight nipples?"

Without giving her a chance to fight him he placed his hands on the small of her back and marched her towards the bed. When her legs came in contact with the mattress he continued to push until her upper body bent over the top. He saw that she tried to right herself but he stopped her attempt by moving up behind her, pressing his firm erection against her rear. At her loud gasp, he chuckled. "You see? I'm enjoying this little game as much as you are so there's no reason not to let go and enjoy yourself."

And he was. Something about how he was pressed against her as she was bound and bent over the bed was driving him wild. He wouldn't rape her, he was above that, but he couldn't deny how much he wanted her at this moment.

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'_I can't believe how good this feels. No, come on, girl, pull yourself back to reality and put an end to this. You're a strong, brilliant woman in her prime. You have an image to uphold with the public that not only reflects your self-worth but the company's itself. Not to mention you have a loving boyfriend. It doesn't matter if it feels good, it's wrong.'_ Her decision made, she calmly decided to talk herself out of the situation.

"I don't know how things are done in space, Vegeta, but here on Earth this type of 'game' is considered wrong, so…" Vegeta seemed to ignore her words and instead focused on lightly tracing her arching spine with his tongue and grinding his pelvis into hers, the dual feelings making her temporarily lose her train of thought, "S-So please untie me." Her plea was once again answered with a sharp nip to the skin covering her shoulder blade. Her cry of pain was cut short as he gently soothed the area with a swipe of his tongue which, to her shock, made her sigh in relief. "A-At least take this o-off so I can see."

"Weren't you the one crying out that the mask shouldn't be taken off?"

"That was a movie, Vegeta, it's completely different."

"How?"

"What do you mean how? It was fictional and this is real life, how much different can you get?"

Vegeta's body heat disappeared from hers and she couldn't hold back the groan of disappointment at the loss. Her groan was quickly replaced with a yelp as she felt him not only twist the fabric binding her but also aggressively pull her back into a standing position.

"That doesn't change the fact that you didn't want her to take his mask off, Woman," he growled in her ear. "Are you telling me that if you saw the same situation in real life that you wouldn't feel the same way?"

She froze against him as his words struck her. He was completely right. "You're right. It was wrong of me to believe that Christine should accept something she couldn't see and it was wrong to be upset with her for being afraid of what Erik actually looked like. Anyone would react the way she did."

There was a pause and it must have been that her vision was gone and being unable to see his reactions that made waiting for him to respond even more nerve racking.

"Anyone would react like she did… because it was wrong?"

"Y…," he answer was cut off by him twisting the fabric more, the joints at her elbows shaking with strain now. "Y-yes."

"Does that include yourself? If you were in her situation, with the man you desired, and you saw his true form would you also throw away your feelings in fear and disgust?"

It was obvious that Vegeta's reasoning for her wanting this was based on what he had seen when he found her watching the movie. It was on the tip of her tongue to answer back 'Of course I would!' and have him admit defeat but she couldn't force the lie past her lips.

"See, when you're honest with yourself you can't hide the fact that you still wanted the character to fall for the deformed man, despite the fact that everyone else would drawn back in fear." Bulma nearly chuckled when Vegeta unintentionally used a lyric from the musical version of the story to describe most people's reactions to the phantom. "And the reason Christine did the same was because she was taught to, that she shouldn't accept or love something that is deemed wrong from the public's eyes."

Bulma gasped as she realized what was going on, how his words not only described the movie but also the situation they were in right now.

"Do you understand now, Woman?" He asked as he let go of her binding and ran his fingers along her sore elbows, massaging them lightly. "The only thing preventing you from enjoying this game of ours is your false perception of what is right and wrong that the world decided for you. And because you fear your 'mask' being removed and the world being disgusted at your true form, you cry out and desperately try to keep the mask on."

Starstruck? No, blindsided. Yes blindsided was the best way to describe how she felt right now. Vegeta had come out of nowhere and in a single instant described who she really was better than she could have herself.

"But that's painful isn't it? To only have someone accept you for your 'mask'. To forever hide your true self in order to not be deemed wrong by the world. Wouldn't you rather stop covering up the truth and show who you really are? Ah, but that's impossible, isn't it? Because the world also wears a mask and would deem the one not wearing one as wrong."

Her body sagged in defeat. _'He's right. I-I want this feeling. I crave it, but no one, Yamcha especially, would understand.'_

"Which is why I'm here; enjoying what the world deems wrong… because in reality I know it is right," he seductively whispered in her ear, "just like you do."

Had her throat always been this tight or was it just because his voice made her body so taut with expectation. 'I know it feels right but it's still wrong… isn't it?' She once again tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Please… untie me."

There was another pause before she felt him sigh with disappointment and move away. "You aren't tied up, Woman. The fabric is just wrapped around your wrists. All you have to do is let go."

'_Seriously? He hadn't tied her and the only thing keeping her in this uncomfortable position was her own hands tightly gripping the fabric?'_ She frowned as she loosened her grip slightly noticing that the tension on her wrists eased slightly as well. _'Well whatever, let go and deal with him now.'_

Despite her knowing that she could remove the tieback at any time, letting her not only ease the pain but also see again, she found herself not wanting to let go. It was as if removing the fabric would be the same as putting her forced mask back on… and it shocked her how much that thought bothered her.

She jumped a little when she felt Vegeta press up against her again, his hands smoothly running along her stomach and up to her breasts. "What's wrong? You know that you can be free at anytime so why are you still bound?" He asked while gently pinching and rubbing her sensitive nipples. "Perhaps that was the problem; that you were being forced into the situation instead of willingly playing the game?" Though it was said aloud and in the form of a question, Bulma realized that Vegeta was talking to himself more than to her. "Yes that makes sense; the fear of being raped was always present but now that that fear is gone, will you be more accepting? If you're done denying then I don't have to punish you anymore. After all, I did tell you before that if you tell the truth," he paused he words as he moved one hand past her stomach, rubbing her in a way that made her moan and her eyes rollback, "I will reward you."

Bulma was panting again but the feel of his hand rubbing her through her nightgown before moving down to grab the hem made her forget about not wanting him to see her beg.

She was about to ask for more when a sharp knock on the door interrupted made them both stiffen.

"Bulma, sweetie, are you okay?" Her Mother. She had completely forgotten about her previous screaming and loud moans. Of course someone would come to investigate and see if she was okay.

Reluctantly Bulma let go of the tieback completely instantly feeling the fabric move away from her wrists and eyes. She turned to see Vegeta for the first time during this 'game' but found her room empty, only the loose curtain fluttering in the wind as proof that he had actually been there in more than just spirit. 'Is it wrong to want more? Or is it… alright?'

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Thanks for reading. I'd love to see more reviews and hear some feedback.


	8. Fallen

A/N: Okay, I know that it's a few day 'til Christmas and this chapter is about a Halloween Party but please try to look past that. I hope you enjoy this chapter, even if it's only because this chapter is 4 times larger than some of the others :p

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He never thought that it was possible for the woman to look more delectable to him, that she was already perfectly crafted in every way to torment him with uncontrollable desire. However, as he peered at her through the throngs of masked people crowding the decorated yard, he realized that he was wrong.

Unlike the strangers wearing dark dresses and goofy costumes she was dressed in a shimmering white gown that fell just above her knees and a matching mask covering her eyes. Her hair was pinned up which not only exposed her neck to his hungry eyes but also showed off the feathery white wings attached to her back.

She was the world's very depiction of an angel: Glowing. Soft. Pure. The desire to make her fall and reveal her true form was overwhelming.

Noticing that he had gained the attention of some of the female guests he flashed them a smirk, mentally rolling his eyes as the women easily swooned knowing that they'd flee in fear of him if they knew who he really was, before heading back into the house.

Once again he would wait for his prey to expose itself.

* * *

"Huh? A hot guy?"

"Don't play dumb, Bulma Briefs! We saw him go into the house, so don't try to act like you don't know."

Bulma rubbed her temples in order to ease her throbbing head. Her patience had already been stretched to its limit due to her exhaustion and she was well past the point of not caring about anything, important stockholders be damned. Now she had been cornered by three scantily clad women dressed as a nurse, a pirate and a witch that were demanding that she tell them about this mysterious 'hot guy' that they saw. "I seriously don't know who you're talking about. He probably just went in to use the bathroom or something. Not to mention that there are over a hundred people here so how am I supposed to know exactly who you're talking about," she asked, barely remembering to be civil about it. _'Hell I barely remember who you bitches are.' _Oh sure, she knew that they were daughters of some of Capsule Corporation's business partners but she'd never seen them at any of the shareholder meetings before so they were most likely just bumming along for one of CC's famous parties. _'Probably never worked a day in their lives.'_

"But he went inside through a side door!" the pirate girl exclaimed. "At the beginning of the party we were told that we were supposed to go in through the front door if we needed to do anything inside and that the residential areas were off limits."

"I had heard that you were dating that handsome baseball player but to think that you're hiding another dreamy muscle man here," this time the nun decided to voice her misguided opinion, "I can't believe it."

"Muscle… Ah, you probably saw Vegeta."

"I knew it!" the nurse called out as if she'd made Bulma confess to something, "So who is he? And no lying, we'll know if you do."

'_I find that hard to believe,' _Bulma mentally responded. "Vegeta is an athlete that is testing out Capsule Corporation's gravity simulator. Basically he lives and trains in the unit around back and we study the effects of the gravity on his body."

"Oh wow, an athlete! No wonder he looked so strong," one of the women, Bulma didn't pay attention to which one, swooned.

'_I need a break from this crap.'_ And with that thought Bulma took advantage of the women gossiping to slip away into the house unnoticed, moving past the barriers that had been set-up to prevent guests from gaining access to the rest of the house.

She made her way through a dark hallway, noting that the only source of light came from the party outside the windows. She paused in front of one to look out at the masked guests watching as they danced and made small talk despite the fact that they didn't actually care about what the others were saying and were just wanting to be polite or further their own agendas. Unable to look at them any longer she continued with her walk, pausing briefly to adjust her increasing uncomfortable mask.

Bulma sighed and rubbed her shoulder, still a bit tender from the play bite Vegeta had given her during their 'game' last night. She knew that she should be focusing on the party and Yamcha, who seemed to have wandered off somewhere, but she couldn't help but think about what had happened between them.

The lust and desire aside, she never imagined that someone as cruel and dark as Vegeta to say something so honest and meaningful that not only reflected her secret dark fantasies but also her normal life and all from just observing her reactions to a movie.

He was absolutely brilliant. And dangerous. Dangerously Brilliant.

That's why she had to be smart about what he was doing to her. She may not be the purest person around but she wasn't about to become someone whose brain was overruled by her sex drive.

She paused at another window upon seeing Yamcha dressed in his baseball uniform noticing that the three women that had cornered her earlier were with him; most likely telling him about how she was harboring another man here behind his back and that she had rudely disappeared while they were talking to her. Yamcha looked confused at first but apparently realized that they were talking about Vegeta as his expression shifted. Whatever thoughts he was having about her and Vegeta were quickly drowned out and the nurse pressed herself up against him to pout about something. Bulma watched as Yamcha's eyes quickly darted down to the woman's chest before looking back up and nervously laughing.

Like she had said before: being polite and furthering their own agendas. That's all these people were here for.

"Looks like your 'boyfriend' has found some entertainment for the evening."

Her brain or her body: Which, Bulma wondered, recognized Vegeta's husky voice first.

Looking away from her boyfriend she saw him for the first time that day. Causally reclined against the wall looking out the next window, dressed in black jeans and an opened white, button up shirt; it was no wonder those women felt the need to bombard her with questions about his identity.

"He's just being polite."

"How kind of him. I wonder if he'll also show them a nice place to relax after they've drunk a little too much."

She knew that Vegeta was trying to bait her, and perhaps if she wasn't tired of playing word games this evening she would have indulged him with a verbal spat but she just didn't care anymore.

"You know, Vegeta, it's kind of pointless to imply that he's going to cheat on me after what I allowed you to do last night." He chuckled and this time she knew that it was definitely her body responding first. "Yes I suppose that according to you logic we should just jump in bed with anyone we feel like and say to hell with the consequences," she snapped bitterly before turning back to watch the woman laugh at something Yamcha said.

She didn't realize that Vegeta had moved away from the window until the familiar puff of air caressed her neck. Keeping her eyes where they were she tried to ignore him even as his hands moved down the length of her arms slowly, the completely normal touch somehow sending shivers through body and making her lock her knees to order to remain standing.

"I don't believe that two people who desire each other should force themselves to stay apart because of prior engagements that they're no longer interested in."

"Who says that Yamcha and I are no longer interested in staying together?" Bulma asked even though she knew that the reason for her fantasies, before she had a face to go with them, stemmed from the fact that she was getting bored with Yamcha's safe and predictable style of courting. Calling to ask to go on a date, showing up with a bouquet of roses, taking her to dinner/movie/etc, back to her place for some alone time and cuddling: It was the same song and dance each time.

Vegeta chose not to say anything, as if he knew she was thinking about her failing relationship without his input, and instead continued to run his hands up and down her arms. Or perhaps he was just more focused on getting her so aroused and flustered that she'd give in to him. As subtly as possible she moved her rear back to rub up against his obvious arousal. _'Maybe both,' _she thought with a blush.

She jumped as Vegeta's hands moved to her hips; the right one trailing down to the back of her thigh. "You shouldn't lock your knees, Woman. You wouldn't want to faint while you're all alone in a dark hallway." Bulma frowned as she unlocked her knees since she found herself wondering what he would do if she did faint. Her frown deepened as she felt him smirk against her neck. "Or maybe you would."

She tried to ignore his teasing touches but the only thing that could distract her at the moment was watching Yamcha as he continued to flirt.

"I wonder what his excuse is."

Bulma blinked at Vegeta's odd statement. "What?"

"You're obviously bored of him, right? What's his reason for being more interested in those easy women instead of you?"

"You said it, didn't you? They're easy. You know they tried to interrogate me earlier about who you are? They were so fascinated by your appearance that they accused me of having you around for the sole purpose of doing indecent things. They're lucky I didn't punch them in their fake noses. I'm sure that you'd be able to get them to do whatever you want without much complaint," she winced at how bitter that sounded. _'Why does the thought of them going after Vegeta bother me more than the fact that Yamcha's practically drooling over them?'_

"Feh, there's no challenge with women like that. Not to mention that they'd expect me to be charming and gentle with them. I've had enough pretending when I was forced to bow down to Frieza and I sure as hell am not doing it for someone weaker than me." He seemed to be tired of talking and focused more on playing with the hem of her costume.

'_I've got to put a stop to this,' _she thought as she tried to pull away only to be stopped by Vegeta's arms wrapping around her and pulling her body tightly against his. "Let go, Vegeta, you're messing up my wings. And I have to get back to the party, I am kind of the host, you know."

A few seconds went by before Vegeta asked, "Why is Kakarot not here?"

"Um… because it's for shareholders, employees, and their families."

"But your boyfriend is here, being 'polite' and 'mingling' with the guests."

"He's here for me."

"Kakarot couldn't be here for you?"

"He wouldn't exactly fit in here. Goku's not one to care about his public image so he'd just stuff his face at the buffet. Not to mention that he's not the type to dress up so he'd just come in his training gear." She didn't understand why Vegeta would want to talk about Goku of all people.

"You seem to have all the Earth's warriors under your thumb. Why not just demand that he behave?"

"It… it just wouldn't be right. I could try to get him to dress up and force him to act like something he's not but he'd just do what he wants. In the end it's better for Goku to just be Goku."

Vegeta's hand slowly left its place holding her and moved to her face, gently moving along her mask. "So why can't Bulma just be Bulma?" Bulma's body stiffened realizing that once again Vegeta had used her words to perfectly trap her. "Why are you forcing yourself to deal with these people when you know that they are only here to wallow in your wealth? Why did you not hit those women for acting like they were your better?" His other hand moved to her stomach and up further to linger tauntingly beneath her breasts. "Why must you stay in a relationship with someone you no longer desire for when it's clear that his thoughts are also wandering?" He moved his mouth to nuzzle her ear. "And don't try to feed me any of that 'we're in love' crap. I don't feel like punishing you tonight but if you waste my time with such a blatant lie I won't hold back."

Bulma closed her eyes as she thought about it. Yamcha and her had always had different views of what they wanted. She was always intrigued by a challenge and got bored of things being too predictable. Yamcha, though originally being a desert thief, quickly came to enjoy things being a bit more laid back and didn't feel the need to switch things up. Thinking about it now, their tastes had been driving them apart for quite awhile and while love wasn't solely based on desire it was heavily dependent on trust. In the end she wasn't really comfortable in saying that she trusted Yamcha to only ogle women. And she was even more uncomfortable with having Yamcha trust her when she wanted nothing more see what Vegeta had planned for her. They had been in love at one time but as time went on their differences had slowly pushed them apart and trying to force their relationship further would only make them miserable.

Her eyes popped open as the hand touching her mask moved to the back of her head to untie the ribbon holding it in place. The mask fell from her eyes and she couldn't help but sigh as the uncomfortable feeling left her face and she was able to see unhindered. She was used to being the smartest woman around but she had to admit that it was an interesting experience to have Vegeta turn the simplest thing into something life changing.

She felt the heat of Vegeta's body leave and without his support she collapsed to the ground, the feathers that had fallen off of her wings due to his rough treatment cascading around her as if she had just fallen from grace.

Vegeta moved into her line of vision smirking at her with a heavily satisfied look on his face. "Much better. Now, I'll let you get back to your party. Hopefully you'll get whatever you need to do finished quickly." And with that he walked away, mask in hand. "Oh, and if you decide to leave the party early, why don't you come around back to the GR. I've got something for you to do there."

"The GR? What do you mean?" Instead of an answer Vegeta just flashed her another look over his shoulder that sent shiver of fear and excitement through her already over stimulated body before disappearing into the darkness. "Something to do in the GR?" she asked aloud as a smirk spread on her face. "Sure, I could go for a stroll.

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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to review, I love to hear what you're thinking of the story.


	9. Midnight Stroll

"W-What do you mean you want to break up?" Yamcha stuttered out shocked by Bulma's bluntness. When she had found him in the crowd and taken him to the side this was the last thing he'd expected.

"Look Yamcha…," she tried to explain but was interrupted.

"Is it because I'm not staying here with you? I'm not trying to avoid you or anything; it's just that my apartment is closer to the wilderness which is where I've been training."

"Yamcha…," Bulma tried again to speak but again Yamcha jumped into the conversation.

"Ah, you must have seen me talking to those women! I wasn't trying to pick up any of them, I promise. I mean… well I guess I was looking but it's hard to avoid looking at outfits like that, they kind of just beg for attention. N-not that they're anywhere near as nice to look at as yours. "

"Yamcha!" Bulma yelled this time uncaring of the terrified look on Yamcha's face or that any guests within earshot would hear her. She was too tired to care anymore. She'd been too tired to care about making small talk with people she'd only seen a few times before in her life. She'd been too tired to care that Yamcha had been flirting with those women despite his protests. She'd been too tired to snap back at Vegeta's attempts to goad her into a fight. And now she was too tired to listen to Yamcha's rambling off excuses in a desperate attempt to appease her.

There was a tense silence between them before Yamcha sighed. "Bulma… I just don't understand. What happened?"

Bulma rubbed her neck before looking back to him. "Trust me, Yamcha, if you'd done something worth apologizing for I wouldn't have calmly asked you to come and talk to me in private." Noticing his confused look she took a hold of his hand. "Look Yamcha, we've been together for over a decade. We've gone through some tough times and had a lot of fun but surely you've noticed that we've grown apart. The only thing either of us is doing wrong is forcing ourselves to stay in this relationship when we have different interests in mind. I'm not saying that you have cheated or that I have… had sex with anyone else but if we go on like this much longer who knows what will happen. If we can't be honest with ourselves then how can we be honest with each other?"

"Bulma…I…," Yamcha started but seemed to be at a loss for words for a second, "I know what you mean. I really haven't cheated on you but I have caught myself looking at other women, like when I was training at the gym. I didn't have any desire to sleep with them but just the fact that I was looking at them is proof enough that I'm not just thinking about you."

"Me too," Bulma confessed. "Not exactly like what you're talking about but remember when I told you about my dreams yesterday? There wasn't anyone in those but the feeling the dream caused me… it's just as bad. To want that feeling when I know that it is a completely different feeling than I experience with you is completely different, even though I'm not acting out on those desires it still feels like I am."

"Is that what has been distracting you today? You had another dream?"

She nodded. "I just think that as we grew up we found that different things make us happy. We stayed together because it was the only thing we ever knew. It was safe and steady which is fine for you, maybe, but…"

"You've never been one for doing the same thing over and over." He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground. "I must have been boring you."

"No, I've had fun with you, as a friend, just like I have fun with Goku and Krillin, but as far as what I want in a romance, it's just not what I need anymore."

Bulma watched Yamcha's down-turned face patiently until he finally looked up with a smile. "Yeah, I think that's pretty much it. I'll miss you, Bulma."

Before she knew it, Yamcha had wrapped his arms tightly around her. She allowed herself to return the hug. After all, he was a dear friend and she was more than happy that they could remain that way. _'This is for the best,' _Bulma thought with a sad smile. It would have been bad if they had continued on their way, drifting apart and doing horrible things behind each other's backs. Not only would it have meant the end of their relationship but more than likely the death of their friendship as well.

* * *

"Brr, I should have gone inside and changed into some decent clothes or at least grabbed a jacket. It wasn't so bad earlier but now it's freezing. Hopefully Vegeta has the GR nice and toasty" Bulma said aloud as she rubbed her arms.

It was around midnight when people finally started to leave. Yamcha said his goodbyes to Bulma and parents before heading off as well and soon there was only staff around cleaning up the yard. Remembering Vegeta saying that he had something for her at the GR she said good night to her parents and made her way around back. "I swear, if he just wants me to fix something, I'm going to murder him," she muttered aloud as she picked up her pace a little.

Finally making it to the backyard, she smiled as the GR came into view. However her smile faltered as the exterior lights surround her house suddenly flickered simultaneously. "Dad, I know it's Halloween but surely you didn't need to install the eerie mood lights back here where the guests weren't going to be." She tried to laugh but it was immediately apparent that her Father had not installed the special flickering lights when they suddenly went out completely. "What the hell? Why are the lights off?"

Looking around she noted that it wasn't completely dark since the sidewalk lights lining the path were still on. It wasn't much of a comfort, however, since their design only illuminated a 10 foot circle directly beneath the bulb leaving several parts of the paths shrouded in darkness. "We've never had the exterior house lights off before so I've never seen what the sidewalk lights look like alone. I'll have to talk to dad about it tomorrow, it's entirely too dangerous to walk out here like this."

Bulma looked around thought fully before another breeze made her remember that she was standing outside in nothing but a thin dress. "Oh what am I talking about dangerous? It's not like anyone could sneak past security and onto the lot in the first place. For now I've got better things to think about."

Stepping out of the ring of light she'd stopped under she made her way down the path towards the next. Passing through she looked up at the remaining three lamps ahead of her and laughed. "Seriously Bulma, you're 30 now. There are scarier things to think about than boogey men, you know like the Androids coming in less than two years."

The sound of a twig snapping underfoot from some indeterminable direction made her jump and dart towards the next pool of light. Clutching her hands over her rapidly beating heart she tried to calm down. '_Get a hold of yourself! It was just someone stepping on a stick there's nothing to worry about. No one can get through security… unless it was one of the guests but they wouldn't come back here. But I clearly heard something. Ah! Maybe someone got lost. I'm sure that if I just call out they'll answer back.'_

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Bulma called out, "Hello? Is someone there?" Hearing no one answer back she tried again. "The party's over so you need to head home. If you're lost you can just head back…," she turned to point back towards the way she had come only to have the rest of her sentence die at what she had seen, or rather what she didn't see.

The other lamps that she had just walked through were no longer shining. Her eyes widened in fear as she stepped back. "Anyway j-just go that way until you reach the front. I have to go now." However upon turning she found that the lights ahead of her were also no longer shinning as well. "What the hell is going on?"

She was trapped. Was there someone out there or was it just her imagination? In either case she had two choices: Either she could stay where she was and wait for something happen or she could make a beeline for the GR and hope that nothing got her.

'_Wait, the GR… Vegeta. Surely Vegeta would be able to sense me coming and he'd also be able to know if someone he didn't know was getting too close to his GR. He may be a bastard but there's no way that he'd tolerate a strange person attacking me, especially when he wants to be the only one to 'attack' me. That just leaves two options: either I'm just panicking for nothing and there's no one here or the person out here with me is none other than Vegeta himself.'_

She should be furious that he'd try to scare her like this but just like last night, when her mind had made the connection that only Vegeta could have gotten into her room, anticipation and desire were quickly mixing with the fear. Last night when she had begged Vegeta to let her go, truly wanting him to because she wasn't comfortable with being tied up, he had relented and she had realized that he truly wasn't going to force her against her will and that, as he had said, this game was just that: a game. Because while an attack by a stranger would be terrifying because they would only think of their needs and not care about hurting her, playing out her twisted fantasies with someone she trusted gave her the feeling of comfort because they would understand when to stop and would consider her feelings before their own.

The light surrounding her disappeared and she was left in complete darkness. A puff of air caressed her neck and she instantly forgot all about the chill of the night wind. And despite knowing that it was most likely Vegeta behind her, her fight or flight instincts kicked in overtaking her rational.

Before she knew it she was running, taking only a split second to kick off her 3 inch stilettos. She didn't know where she was running in all this darkness but the feeling of cut grass on her bare feet told her enough to know that she was off the paved path and most likely running in the opposite direction of both the house and the GR. Her mind told her to stop running, to look around and try to see where she was and who was chasing her but her body wouldn't respond, it just kept running until it hit a wall.

There was a deep chuckle and just the barest feeling of finger tips running down her arm could be felt but it was enough to make her shudder with desire. She heard the chuckle again and frowned.

'_He thinks it's funny that he got the best of me? That he can make me helpless to his touch? Well, too bad for him that he's dealing with Bulma Briefs. And I'm not giving in without a fight.'_

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_I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to review. One more chapter to go. I've been sick and busy so I'm not making any promises as to when it'll be up but it should be before the month is up._  
_


	10. Pursuit

Okay everyone, this is the last part of Masquerade (finally). This is rated M and there is sex in it but I wouldn't say it's any worse than some of the other M fics on here but if you don't like that kind of stuff don't read. Also I won't say that I'm bad at writing mature content but I will say that it took me forever to get this the way I wanted it to be. Hope you enjoy. :)

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It was disturbingly easy to manipulate the environment to his liking. One switch flipped in the breaker box and the exterior house lights were out. Pull one little wire from the lamp's circuitry and the entire thing was useless. Really, did these humans not consider things like this when they designed their homes or did they just not believe that anyone they know could be a blood thirsty murderer or a horny pervert? Security at the front of the compound was useless if they just invited their attackers inside. Even now the Woman was aware of the possibility of one of her guests coming around the 'by mistake' though she was foolishly mistaken if she truly believed that a potential attacker could be swayed by the concept of her knowing he was there. Luckily for the panicking woman, the only attacker this night was him. Then again, he was probably more of a blood thirsty murderer than any perverted human could imagine.

It was so amusing to him, seeing her fret and run. Once again her mind was far too quick to fully accept that fact that she was in danger but the sweet scent of her desire reminded him that that was for the better. She was still scared but at least she would be willing to play instead of terrified of actually being hurt.

He loved the reaction he had gotten out of her when her 'fight or flight' instinct kicked in from something as simple as him breathing on her neck. He couldn't help the chuckle that left his throat as he thought of the self-assured, strong Bulma Briefs' first instinct was to run. But then she was his prey: She would instinctively know that her predator was too strong to fight. Not that running saved her either since he easily moved to catch her, her eyes unable to see anything in the darkness.

He ran his fingertips down her goose bump-covered arm chuckling at the shudder of desire that ran through her. However his amusement was cut short as Bulma's face changed from the mixture of desire and fear to that of anger and determination. It was confusing but he didn't have time to dwell on it before she lashed out as quickly as she could. A normal man wouldn't have been able to move back quickly enough to avoid their face being slashed by her sharp nails. Luckily he was not a normal man and he dodged the swipe.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" She cried out shakily.

He raised a brow in confusion, a little more than stunned that she was capable of such a violent act. _'Maybe she didn't catch on to what was really going on. But no, that can't be it. I know that she was reacting to my touch earlier and it wasn't with fear so she must know that it's me. Or could it be that she'd react this way with anyone?'_

He didn't like the thought of that. They weren't in a relationship so he shouldn't expect her to only react to him but he couldn't stop the surge of possessiveness that raged through him at that thought. It had been bad enough having this obsession with her when she was tied to the weakling and it had been extremely gratifying seeing her severe that tie. She was now free to pursue by this planet's customs and even though he had no plans of staying on this planet long-term that didn't mean he was willing to share his prey with anyone else.

She swung her arm again but he easily caught it. Unfortunately, in his attempts to gently subdue her, he missed her other arm which came in contact with his chest. With a hiss, he let go of her arm and examined the damage. Surprisingly she managed to draw blood though the wound wasn't deep enough to call anything more than a scratch. He'd had more serious injuries in his life but the fact that someone as weak as her had inflicted damage was a big hit to his pride.

Growling, he looked up and saw Bulma turn on her bare heel and flee towards the lit area most likely thinking that the light would save her. '_I don't think so, Woman.' _He took a few steps and was about to grab her when she tripped and fell to the ground. He would have chuckled had she not thrown a large clump of dirt at him before pushing herself back up.

Barely glancing at the clump as he swatted it to the side, he decided to end this pointless act of hers. "Enough," he growled out as he grabbed her and threw her down behind one of the hedges lining the garden. At her attempt to get back to her feet he fell on top of her pinning her arms to the ground.

Even in his state of annoyed fury, he couldn't help but take in her disheveled appearance. Her once white dress was now covered in splotches of brown mud. The thread holding the wings in place was torn causing them to fall away from her back. Her perfectly pinned haired was tangled and fell around her heaving shoulders and chest moving with her as she tried to catch her breath from her parted lips.

Suddenly he was brought back to the reality of the situation and let go of her wrists, examining her to see if he had been too rough. His observation was cut short when he felt her arms slowly wind around his shoulders and her lips skim his neck.

"Oh no," she spoke in mock fear, "you caught me. Whatever shall I do?"

Vegeta was stunned as it occurred to him what had just happened. She had recognized that he was the one out here with her but instead of giving in she had decided to continue as if she hadn't. "Sneaky little bitch." He clearly felt her smirk before she parted her lips so that she could suck gently on his neck. He nearly groaned as her tongue toyed with a particularly sensitive spot before he tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her away.

"I'll give you some credit, Woman, you fought better than I thought you could. Unfortunately it's my turn now," he leaned forward so that she could only see his eyes, "And this time, no matter what interruption comes, I'm not letting you go."

* * *

Bulma's shiver this time had nothing to do with the cold. With Vegeta's last action she was completely unable to move and though her eyes had adjusted to the darkness a bit, all she could see were his dark eyes burning directly into hers. She tried to calm herself down enough before she hyperventilated but it was hard with everything going on.

Soon Vegeta got tired of just staring at her and angled her head up to meet his lips. Their first kiss was fierce and passionate, more about domination than the tender loving kisses she was used too. It was driving her crazy and it was only the beginning.

Pulling away, Vegeta grabbed the collar of her dress with both hands and ripped it in half. Bulma couldn't hold back the started gasp as the cool air hit all of her exposed skin at once and even though she was still wearing undergarments she naturally moved to cover herself from Vegeta's eyes. His hands beat hers though as he started to cup and massage her breasts. "Ah, Ve-Vegeta, don't…don't tease me," she cried out, surprised that she had managed to form a coherent sentence.

A slight nip to the lip made her jump and Vegeta smirked down at her. "You're not in any position to give orders, Woman. Though I suppose if you're that desperate I can help." And just like her dress, he grabbed her bra and twisted it until it came off; his smirk widening as he watched how the rough movement caused her breasts to bounce. Bulma sighed in relief as his hands covered her bare breasts and resumed his massaging. "Yes, you like that, don't you? You've body was severely neglected, wasn't it? That fool was so inadequate it's no wonder you ended your relations with him."

"N-no, Yamcha didn't neglect me. He was a good boyfr-ah!" Bulma's protest was cut off as Vegeta changed from gently massage her breasts to roughly pulling on her nipples. It hurt but once again he was showing off his skill by knowing just how much to apply without taking away her pleasure.

"I told you earlier that I don't want to punish you tonight so let's get this little bit of denial out of the way, shall we?"

"Bas-tard," Bulma muttered out as Vegeta began switching his motion between her breasts and her nipples again with a sadistic look on his face.

"You did end you relations with him, did you not?"

Tossing her head back and forth, her mind tried to ignore the sensual torture on her body long enough to reply. "Y-yes."

"Why?" Vegeta asked innocently even though the smug look on his face said that he already knew the answer.

"I didn't want to cheat on him."

"And why were you worried about 'cheating' on him?"

Bulma glared up at Vegeta the best she could. "Surely that's obvious. Or are you unaware of where your hands are at the moment?"

Apparently that was the wrong answer since it earned her nipples another rough pinch, this time so hard that it made her cry out loud enough that he had to cover her mouth.

"But why? If you were satisfied with him then you wouldn't want my hands to be where they are. So that would mean that he didn't satisfy you and that your body has needed real action for quite awhile."

"You're so full of yourself, you know that?" Bulma asked rolling her eyes when he just chuckled.

"Jealous? Don't worry you'll be full of me soon enough."

"You're a pervert, too? I never would have guessed… Ah!" her comments were cut off as Vegeta ignored her and started teasing her nipples with his mouth.

She didn't want to admit he was right, he really didn't need an ego boost, but in the end he was right. She had craved a more passionate romance for years and Yamcha's delicate touches hadn't delivered.

Not wanting to be the only one overcome with desire from teasing touches, Bulma ran her hand down Vegeta's chest only to come across some freshly risen skin and something wet. Bringing her hand back up so she could see it she was shocked to see a trace amount of blood on it. _'He's bleeding? How? When?' _Just as quickly as she asked herself she knew the obvious answer.

"Vegeta did I cut you earlier?"

A growl was the only answer she got. _'Apparently I did. I doubt it hurt so he's probably more embarrassed than anything.' _She had to chuckle a bit at that but a sharp glare shut her up quickly. Vegeta liked to 'punish' by nipping and his mouth was currently occupied in a very sensitive area. She'd have to enjoy that minute victory later.

Returning to her original plan, she gently ran her fingers over his pectorals; feather-light touches that made the muscles underneath jump. Moving down, she ran her nails over his six pack to the band of his pants before sweeping back up. She repeated the motion, enjoying his firm body until a growl interrupted her.

"Stop teasing, Woman."

"You stop teasing me first then."

Shifting his weight, Vegeta grabbed her wandering hand and moved it furthered down so that it covered his erection. Bulma's eyes widened as she groped him through his pants. _'Wow, I thought I knew his size when he ground against me last night but apparently I was wrong.'_

"I had thought that with your only partner being the weakling that your body wouldn't be ready for such rough action without a bit of preparation."

Swallowing, Bulma ran her hand down the firm length again. _'Not to mention that Yamcha probably couldn't even compare to Vegeta's stamina.' _Vegeta often trained for 10 hours straight so who knew how long he could last during sex.

Bulma froze in fear as a particularly cruel smirk spread on Vegeta face.

"Perhaps I was wrong though." Bulma's completely calm and collected questioning of what he meant quickly turned into little more than a yelp as she was roughly grabbed and moved to her hands and knees. "No, you don't want to take your time tonight, do you?" Vegeta stated as he dragged his palms down her sides to cup her panty cover bottom. "You just want to be fucked."

Everything had happened so fast that her mind struggled to take in what was going on. Finally her eyes took notice of something white beneath her. Looking down, Bulma realized that it was the remains of her costume. _'Oh Kami, what am I doing? I'm almost completely naked with the exception of my panties, outside, just steps away from where people are cleaning up after the party with only a three foot row of hedges blocking the view of anyone who comes around here.'_

"Um, shouldn't we go inside?" She looked back but Vegeta seemed to be more interested with playing with the hem of her panties. "Vegeta!"

"I heard you, Woman."

"We should at least go into the GR."

"We would have been in the GR had you not gotten lost on the way."

She reached back and smacked him the best she could from her position. "I was on my way before you started trying to freak me out."

"Just setting up the mood, Woman," he answered back with a lazy smirk.

_'Damn, I can't tell if that smirk is more sexy or infuriating.'_ She was brought out of her mixed feelings when Vegeta's fingers got tired of playing with the hem and moved under the satin. "Vegeta, please, it's, um, it's freezing out here."

"You'll be sweating in a bit."

"But…"

"But?"

Bulma's head dropped between her arms. She knew what he was doing. Earlier she had been perfectly fine with what was going on. It wasn't until she stopped to think about the little details that she had started the protest.

"I won't force myself on you. If you honestly want to go inside we will."

"… No. I… I don't want to go inside. I want… I want…," she jumped as she felt him rip her panties off with one tug.

"You want what, Woman?"

Bulma didn't know when he'd removed his pants but she couldn't deny the raging desire flooding her at the feel of his skin against hers. She was tired of the teasing, just like she was tired of the doing things 'properly' when all she wanted… all she wanted…

"I want you to fuck me! I want to know what it feels like to be truly satisfied instead of coddled and disappointed. I want you to show me what it feels like to let go and ignore the world."

And with that she finally felt Vegeta enter her, stretching her passage to its limits. Without pausing for her to adjust he kept on starting a slow but hard pace. He had been right: her body wasn't fully prepared for it but it was just what she wanted. Her fists clenched beneath her as she pushed back to meet each of his rough thrusts. Her sweat slicked arms trembled with the strain of holding her position

"Is this what you wanted?"

"Yes… oh Vegeta's, it's so good." She barely finished the words when Vegeta pushed on her back making her collapse to the ground. "Hey! What…?"

Vegeta covered her mouth with his hands as he pressed himself tight against her back, all the while never slowing her rough thrusts. "Shh."

"Why do you want me to be quiet?"

"What happened back here? Why are all the lights off?" an unknown voiced called out.

Bulma froze. _'Oh no, it's the security guards.' _

"Maybe Dr. Briefs shut them off so people wouldn't go back here. Nothing says 'off limits' like complete darkness, you know? In any case, whatever we heard before must have come from somewhere else."

"Yeah, anyone crazy enough to walk back here when it's like this wants to be attacked."

Vegeta, who had been sucking on her neck, chuckled at that comment. She would have smacked him had she been able to move her arms from under her. "I knew this was a bad idea," she whispered. "I knew someone would find us. I…"

"Shh."

"You, Shh." Looking back to see Vegeta's calm look and lazy smirk, she nearly had a panic attack when he pulled out and away from her. "Are you crazy?" The guards may have already left but the risk of being seen still lingered.

Reaching down, Vegeta grabbed her and turned her onto her back before covering her body again, all the while making sure to say below the hedge line and out of sight.

"Vegeta, ah!" She gasped out as he entered her but luckily Vegeta was fast enough to kiss her before she became too loud.

"What's wrong, Woman? Do you want to stop? Go inside where it's safe and 'snuggle'?" Vegeta asked tauntingly without pausing his actions.

Bulma narrowed her eyes before smiling suddenly enough to catch Vegeta off guard. "I don't think so, Bad Man," she said ignoring his growl at the name and wrapping her arms and legs around him to meet his t. "You want to prove that letting go with you is better than loving and gentle embraces with Yamcha? Then prove it. I'll admit that this feels amazing but will the end be worth it?" She shrugged before grinding her hips into his and smirking as he had to grit his teeth to hold back the groan. "So far you seem to be a lot of talk."

That, apparently, was enough to set Vegeta off. "I'll show you talk," he growled out as he pulled her legs from around his waist and pushed them forward causing her body to fold over. From the new, deeper position he started to thrust harder and faster than Bulma thought was possible.

_'I know it was a bad idea to tease him but damn if the results aren't amazing.' _Her body was quickly crossing over from 'neglected' to 'abused' though she could tell that Vegeta was still holding back and likely paying close attention to whether or not he was being too rough. "Ah, Vegeta, a-ah!" She could feel herself tightening around him as her tension mounted. It all felt so good and though she wasn't doing much in return, the glazed look in Vegeta's eyes seemed to suggest that he was getting as close to his finish as she was.

She was proven right only a few seconds later when Vegeta suddenly let go of her legs and dug his fingers into the ground. "Woman. Damn it."

Bulma moved her legs back down so that she could pull him back for a kiss. Brutally they moved their lips together as they reached their peak and crashed over the edge with smothered moans.

Her arms felt like they weighed a ton as she forced them to remain locked around Vegeta's neck. She was completely out of breath but the elation she felt was still overwhelming. Looking up at Vegeta, she smiled to see that he seemed slightly shell shocked. _'Looks like I did more than I thought.'_

Vegeta jumped as she moved her hand to cup his face. He still didn't seem entirely back yet but she moved her head forward to gently kiss him anyway. As she pulled back, she smiled again. "Okay, you're more than capable of backing up your talk."

"Of course," Vegeta scoffed, "and I thought I warned you earlier about teasing me, Woman."

"You did, but there's a small problem."

"Oh?"

"Despite your warnings I've only had positive results from teasing you so I have no reason not to."

"Is that so?" he growled out and Bulma shivered at the smirk that suddenly spread on his face. "Let's see if I can remedy that then," and with that he crashed his lips against hers again.

_'Here we go again. Something tells me that I'm going to hate my big mouth in the morning.' _

However she didn't think she'd be too angry with herself. In the end_, _in this world of masks, she was free to do what she wanted and she was going to make sure that Vegeta knew how much that meant to her, even if he complained about her teasing.

* * *

And that's it. I hope you all enjoyed the story despite it being a bit short and choppy at points. Please feel free to read and review, I love hearing from everyone. And thanks to all of those that supported the story with your reviews, alerts, and favs. I hope that you'll enjoy my other stories in the future. I'm still working on Bizarre Earth Customs and I'll soon be posting my AU fic from the Bulma Vegeta livejournal community here as well. Thanks again :D


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